State of the 'Still-Don't-Get-Its'

I don't have time or energy to waste on this bumptious piece of self-puffery. But I can take time out to slap him. All points lifted wholesale from CNN here.

1) "Our citizens don't much care which side of the aisle we sit on, as long as we are willing to cross that aisle when there is work to be done."

The most divisive President in history, who has presided over the most divided legislatures in American history, now thinks working together is a good idea?

2) Bush also put forth a wish list to extend health insurance coverage, reduce gasoline consumption by 20 percent over 10 years and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Having encouraged pollution and massive overconsumption (in time of "war", yet) until now he suddenly grew an environmental conscience? Only perhaps because instead of shilling for oil companies he's now shilling for their ethanol subsidiaries and the corn-growing agribusinesses looking for a place to dump their excess at a profit while maintaining ridiculous subsidies.

3) Bush said he will submit a budget that will eliminate the nation's deficit in five years.

C'mon Georgie-boy! Where are you gonna pull nine trillion from? That's the Federal debt limit, by the way. Wanna know what the current debt level actually IS? Wanna know how it got that way?

4) "This dependence [on foreign oil] leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists -- who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments, raise the price of oil, and do great harm to our economy."

Yeah, I can see that disrupting the flow of oil was a major objective on September 11th, 2001. And geez, it's not like the price of oil's been on the rise since you were first appointed, eh?

(Yeah, I know oil started climbing in the latter years of Clinton, but it looks dammned funny that a man who lost a fortune, but still has contacts, in the oil business presided over the fastest, steepest, highest climb in oil prices since the seventies--from $30 to $60 a barrel in about five years.)

5) He said U.S. troops can still win the nearly 4-year-old war, however, and he urged lawmakers to support "our troops in the field -- and those on their way. [...] Whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure," he said. "This country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq, and I ask you to give it a chance to work."

In other words: "Mission (Still) Accomplishable".
Old strategy: Refuse to talk to anyone or accept constructive criticism about how the war should be handled or indeed whether there should be one at all, send in too few troops to secure Iraq; claim "Mission Accomplished". New strategy: send in 16% more troops, piss off Iran and Syria, refuse to accept any criticism at all.

6) Bush also reiterated his plan to add 92,000 troops to the Army and Marine Corps over five years.

Hell, some high schools won't allow recruiting on their property because of the desperate lies recruiters tell to get bodies to sign up and help them make their quota. Recruiting numbers are slipping as it is ... where do you think you're gonna find 100K more bodies? Oh--right.

Presumably he'll be pushing recruiters to go tell rich white uni students that Iraq is just a racketball court waiting for players?

7) The president previewed his major health-care proposal in his weekend radio address: a proposed tax deduction for up to $15,000 in health insurance premiums, coupled with a tax penalty for premiums over that amount.

But the idea is already playing to mixed reviews, with many wondering how the plan -- which would turn health benefits into taxable income -- would extend coverage to tens of millions of people without health insurance. (Emphasis mine)

8)"We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis," he said.

Finally something I generally agree with. Believe it or not, I favour the creation of guest worker programs and a path to citizenship. Of course he's doing it so that the Border Patrol can get on with capturing terrorists ... 'cos they've been doing such a heckuva job of that.

Of course, this is one idea that's unlikely to get much cheering. The Dems are dubious because of concerns about the American work market. The Republicans fear the influx of more brown people.

"I am disappointed but not surprised that the president has once again chosen to trot out this same old pig, albeit one with a slightly new shade of lipstick," said Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado.

The most important thing, and probably the best thing, is that for the first time since his initial appointment to the presidency, Duby is considering a future. The best thing about that is that it is a future without him as president.

It's also the best thing for him personally, as it means that some other chief exec--hopefully President Obama--will have to clean up his godawful "legacy" and try to make good on his false promises and failed policies.